

Any input that will steer me in the right direction and keep me from wasting time looking into options that don't make sense would be appreciated.The activation instructions below are for UMBC owned computers that have KMS versions of Microsoft Office Professional Plus installed (Microsoft 365 and Mac versions of Office are not supported by this activation method). I guess I need to read up on MS licensing technologies so I understand what I'm doing.

I've basically ignored licensing technologies up to this point and let the OS do what it wanted. Sorry for the basic questions, but I'm posting first and tonight I'm going to dig up documentation on this. Somewhat unrelated: If I leave the 2008R2 server as a memeber server, do I have to worry about schema extensions and such - What is the real-world difference between MAK and KMS activation - Is setting up a KMS host a super simple follow the prompts, or is it as complicatedas the Volume Activation Deployment Guide makes it look? - Will setting up a KMS host change the way my existing servers work? - What are your experiences in this area? For a very small office, is there a best choice? I've pulled up documents on "adding a server 2008 domain controller to an existing 2003 domain," and "Volume Activation Deployment Guide for Windows 7 and Windows Server 2008 R2." I'm a bit confused about the options. We have always just had the standard Windows Activation over the Internet in the past. I am not sure of the best way to proceed.

Click 'OK' to use the KMS key, or click 'Cancel' to enter a different product key."

I installed the new server, started to activate it, and got the message: "Windows Activation - You have entered a Key Management Service (KMS) key that should only be used to create an activation infrastructure for an organization. Our group totals about 15 users with two full-time remote users, and regular remote access by other users on the road. The other is the primary file, print, and database server. One is an Exchange server and VPN server. We have two existing 2003 servers that are both DCs and GCs. I am adding a new Windows 2008 R2 server whose primary role will be a RDP/terminal server.
